This section sets requirements for vehicle registration and certain permit applications, gives the department denial and identification-check authority, and requires county assessor-collectors to accept certain ownership evidence for renewal.
Sec. 502.043. APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION AND CERTAIN PERMITS. (a) An application for vehicle registration or a permit described by Section 502.094 or 502.095 must: (1) be made in a manner prescribed and include the information required by the department by rule; and (2) contain a full description of the vehicle as required by department rule. (b) The department shall deny the registration of or permitting under Section 502.094 or 502.095 of a commercial motor vehicle, truck-tractor, trailer, or semitrailer if the applicant: (1) has a business operated, managed, or otherwise controlled or affiliated with a person who is ineligible for registration or whose privilege to operate has been suspended, including the applicant entity, a relative, family member, corporate officer, or shareholder; (2) has a vehicle that has been prohibited from operating by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for safety-related reasons; (3) is a carrier whose business is operated, managed, or otherwise controlled or affiliated with a person who is ineligible for registration, including the owner, a relative, a family member, a corporate officer, or a shareholder; or (4) fails to deliver to the county assessor-collector proof of the weight of the vehicle, the maximum load to be carried on the vehicle, and the gross weight for which the vehicle is to be registered. (c) In lieu of filing an application during a year as provided by Subsection (a), the owner of a vehicle registered in any state for that year or the preceding year may present: (1) the registration receipt and transfer receipt for the vehicle; or (2) other evidence satisfactory to the county assessor-collector that the person owns the vehicle. (c-1) A county assessor-collector shall accept a receipt or evidence provided under Subsection (c) as an application for renewal of the registration if the receipt or evidence indicates the applicant owns the vehicle. This section allows issuance for registration purposes only but does not authorize the department to issue a title. (d) The department may require an applicant for registration to provide current personal identification as determined by department rule. Any identification number required by the department under this subsection may be entered into the department's electronic titling system but may not be printed on the title. Transferred, redesignated and amended from Transportation Code, Section 502.151 by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1296 (H.B. 2357), Sec. 81, eff. January 1, 2012. Amended by: Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1135 (H.B. 2741), Sec. 64, eff. September 1, 2013. Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1135 (H.B. 2741), Sec. 65, eff. September 1, 2013.